


Fairytale Engagement

by QueenCarol



Series: Twists In Time [2]
Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Carzekiel, F/M, TWD AU, carzekiel AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-18
Updated: 2020-05-18
Packaged: 2021-03-02 17:21:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,342
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24260500
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueenCarol/pseuds/QueenCarol
Summary: Ezekiel has a surprised planned for Carol, a surprise he hopes ends in a fairytale engagement.
Relationships: Ezekiel/Carol Peletier
Series: Twists In Time [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1750618
Kudos: 2





	Fairytale Engagement

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer:
> 
> Carol Peletier, Sophia Peletier, King Ezekiel, Henry, Jerry, Shiva, and any other recognizable character or plot of The Walking Dead belong to AMC Network and Skybound Entertainment, Image Comics and Robert Kirkman.
> 
> Disneyland is the property of The Walt Disney Studios.
> 
> In no way is the author claiming ownage of any of the characters nor is there any economic/monetary gain at any time. The author is extremely respectful of the original creators and is willing to take down this work of fiction if requested.
> 
> No copyright infringement intended.
> 
> Original characters are the property of the author.

Ezekiel has been planning this very moment for a long time. He’s surprised they’ve gotten this far without Carol suspecting a thing, especially since the children knew exactly what was going to happen.

A rush of nerves hits him out of nowhere, making his hands tremble and alerting Carol that something is going on. He can see her narrow her eyes as she looks at him. He has to act cool, just for a couple more minutes. 

“Everything okay, love?” He hears Carol ask and turns to look at her fully. She looks gorgeous, lit by the lights around them which are used to ensure the park isn’t completely dark this late at night. 

“Nothing is amiss, my Queen.” He hopes that the use of her pet name soothes her worry but he knows Carol too well. She smiles at him but he can still see in her eyes the uncertainty she feels. She is worried for him.

Earlier that day he’d surprised his family with tickets to visit Disneyland. They’d been in Los Angeles visiting Carol’s sister but he’d wanted the children to have a fun day. What better place to do so than to take them to the amusement park? This would be the first time either of them visited an amusement park which made it even better. 

They had packed up the essentials and he’d driven them in their rental towards the park. As soon as Sophia and Henry had seen the huge sign looming in front of them, they had let out a huge squeal, or at least Sophia had. Henry had simply followed along with his 8-year-old sister, raising his hands, and laughing out loud. At 3, the little guy couldn’t read but Sophia’s mirth was enough to have him happily exclaiming as if he too could read where they were.

They’d spent all day going on ride after ride, cooling down with some frozen treats and walking hand in hand. Ezekiel is sure that by now Carol’s phone is full of pictures of their children as they walk a couple of steps ahead, their little hands clasped together. He knows it because she’s used the phone far more times than he has and he has plenty of them. He also has enough cute pictures of Carol, some he’s taken while she poses and some that are simply her and the children, to fill up a whole album back home.

During one of the bathroom breaks Carol had taken where neither Sophia nor Henry had wanted to use the bathroom, he’d explained the plan to the children. Sophia had instantly covered her mouth, which was now in a perfect circle, in excitement. Henry had looked at him as if he was crazy, not truly understanding what was going on. His mother and father had been together since he’d been a baby, to him their family was as official as it could be. Still, Ezekiel had sworn both kids to secrecy. Sophia had even promised to make sure Henry didn’t say a word that would ruin the surprise.

The ring had been burning a hole in his back pocket all day. More than once he’d have to check that it was still there since he didn’t have it in a box, always looking back to make sure it hadn’t fallen where he’d sat. He quickly makes sure to check one final time, using the hand Carol isn’t holding, then takes out the ring, making sure to keep it secure in a tightly closed fist. 

He’d gotten lucky that while Carol had taken the kids to get a colored churro, he’d been able to talk to one of the cast members. He knew that sometimes couples were allowed to take a picture in front of the castle while everyone waited for the fireworks. He also knew that his idea of proposing to her on that moment was as cliche and sugary as could be, but after the life Carol had been forced to live, he knew she deserved moments of elation and happiness, even if they were a little silly. Thankfully, after explaining to the cast member just why he needed a picture in front of the castle with his hopefully soon-to-be-wife, the woman had accepted. When Carol and the kids had come back, both Henry and Sophia already sporting sugary grins and half a churro each, he’d guided them to the picture line do they could take the picture. 

That’s where they currently were, waiting for the last couple in front of them to finish taking a bunch of cute pictures.

“Daddy!” Henry suddenly exclaims, his arms extended to be picked up. Ezekiel doesn’t deny him and quickly bends down to pick up his son. His hand still tightly closed. “Is it time?”

“Not yet, sweetheart,” Carol replies, thinking that Henry is talking about the picture, possibly ready to move on to the next thing after having grown tired of waiting. 

“Noooooooo,” Henry tells her, shaking his head, his blond hair flying everywhere. They needed to get him a haircut soon. “Is it ring ring time?” 

Sophia gasps beside him, her eyes growing wide for she thinks her brother has finally spilled the beans and ruined the surprise. Ezekiel quickly zooms in to do some damage control.

“I’m afraid not,” he tells his sons who gives him a pout in return. “We must await a little longer for the fireworks.”

Henry is about to open his mouth again to correct him when the couple in front of them is finally done and the cast member is ushering them into position. The first couple of pictures are standard pictures, family pictures that the cast member guides in poses. Then the cast member gives him a nod and approaches the man taking pictures. He knows the time has come for him to pop the question and he’s suddenly overcome with even more nerves.

“Alright, we are going to try something different.” The cast member tells them then makes them face each other. She gives him some seconds to prepare as she tells Carol and Sophia what to do, keeping a distance from them so that she doesn’t photobomb their perfect picture. 

This is it. He’s going to propose in front of a crowd that seems to know what’s happening. Quickly he loosens his hand from around the ring, playing with it until he’s holding it between two fingers.

Henry, who he is still holding, his little hands rise as if he is in a roller coaster as soon as he sees the ring. “Ring!” He declares.

As Carol turns to look at her son, Ezekiel starts lowering himself into one knee into the age-old position. For a second Carol looks extremely confused. Sophia once more has covered her mouth but this time she’s jumping slightly on her spot, her eyes shining as she can barely contain her excitement. Henry is already clapping, treating the whole situation as a done deal.

“What are you doing?” Carol asks him. He can see her breathing has doubled in rhythm so he starts talking before she hyperventilates and he has a heart attack. 

“Carol, from the moment my eyes laid sight on you, you became my Queen. I never doubted that a family was written for us in the cards of faith, that we’d find eternal happiness and love by each other’s side, that we’d weave an unbreakable life. You allowed me to be Sophia’s father, trusted me with the one thing that was most precious to you. When we were given the opportunity to welcome Henry into our lives, you accepted him as if he was your own child, understanding my position as his godfather.” 

He takes a moment to settle his feelings, to gather all his courage and to simply lose himself in her blue sparkling eyes. In them he can see their future, he can see their happiness and hope and their family. He knows this is the right move, he knows that the tears that gather on her eyes tell him she hadn’t expected this to happen and coupled with the smile on her face, the grin that she can barely contain, it tells him she’s as excited about their future as he is. 

“I love you. I always will. You are my Queen. All other women fall short of your greatness, all other possible futures pale in comparison to ours. I know we are a family, we’ve always been, and I’ve been lucky twice now to have met you and Sophia and to have welcomed our Henry into our family, but if you see it within your heart to make our family official... will you marry me?”

Everyone around them seems to quiet down as he produces the ring and they wait for her answer. Carol never looks away from his eyes, not once does she look at the ring. They’d talked about marriage before but he knows he’s caught her off guard. He knows he’s running the risk of her not being ready.

“Mama!” Sophia’s soft voice breaks the silence. “Give Papa an answer.”

“Yes! Yes! Yes!” Henry says, clapping with each word. To him, the only possible answer is yes. There is no way the tiny boy can understand what’s truly happening.

A chuckle spreads around them as the crowd hears his kids’ words. Still, he looks at Carol, never wavering, focusing on her as much as he can. For a second he’s afraid that he’s put her too much on the spot, that she will refuse, or worse yet, accept only because so many are looking at them.

He’s about to admit defeat when she suddenly looks up, tilting her head back, trembling hands moving to brush away the tears that have slid down her cheeks. Carol then looks down at him, shaking her head as she playfully rolls her eyes. “Get up from there you silly man.” She whispers.

“Is that a yes?” Ezekiel asks her, his eyes showing his hesitation even as he gets up.

Carol let’s out a tiny laugh before nodding energetically. “Yes, yes I’ll marry you.”

Applause and cheers erupt around them, congratulations coming from people he had never met in his life. All he cared about, though, was the fact that his son was wigging to be let down and that as soon as Henry’s feet hit the cement he’s jumping up and down, joining his sister and that Sophia gives a little happy dance before jumping along with her brother, both extremely happy. Their happiness and Carol’s are all that matters to him.

With Carol’s help, Ezekiel gets up. His fingers tremble as he slides her engagement ring on. It’s a beautiful garnet stone set in gold, symbolizing the month they’d first met. It wasn’t a huge rock but only because he knew she wouldn’t like it to be that way. 

Once the ring is on her finger, Carol’s arms wrap around his neck as his strong hands pull her petite frame against his. “I love you.” He whispers to her.

“I love you.” Carol choruses before guiding his lips to hers. As soon as they kiss he sees the flash of the camera that captures one of his family’s happiest moments and hears the thunderous applause wash over them.

They take a couple of pictures in which they show her engagement ring but it all goes by in a flash. He’s still in cloud nine at the knowledge that Carol has agreed to marry him, that she has said yes. Finally, they are helped back to their spot to watch the fireworks.

They watch the firework show with Sophia sitting on his shoulders while one of his hands holds to her knee to make sure she doesn’t fall, Henry snuggled in Carol’s arms, and Carol leaning against him, his hand wrapped around her waist. While their children ooh and ahh, clap and cheer, he presses his chin to Carol’s shoulders. “I hope it wasn’t too much.” He says near her ear.

He can see the side of her face as she looks over her shoulder. He can see the smile and the happy tears that still gather at her eyes. “It wasn’t too much.” She assures him.

With the fireworks done, the children suddenly asleep in each of their arms, and the tired family all snuggled together as they ride on the tram, Ezekiel questions yet again, just to make sure he didn’t let her down. “Are you sure?”

He knows Carol would never want to upset him, even if the whole event had been more than she’d envisioned if she’d ever thought about such occurrence. “Maybe the castle was too much.”

“Hey! I’m your Queen, aren’t I?” She challenges him, the devilish glint in her eyes that he so loves returns with more shine. He’s in for it, and he knows it.

Carol waits until he nods before continuing. “Well then, I need a castle, and you gave me one. You surprised me, in a good way... a great way. “ She turns to look at Henry who whimpers in his sleep and snuggles further against her chest, then turns to look at Sophia who’s head rests against his shoulder as she leans against his chest. “You made me happy, you made Sophia happy, and you made Henry happy... and you finally asked me to marry you. It took you long enough.”

He chuckles and pulls her a little closer. Of course she’d find a way to tease him. His Carol was a firecracker and he loved her for it.

“Don’t worry Ezekiel, it wasn’t too much.” She leans against his empty shoulder and sighs contently.

Just as he presses a kiss to the top of her hair, Carol adds something that makes him extremely proud and settles his soul. “It was perfect. It was just right. It was us and our babies and our fairytale. I cannot wait to spend the rest of my life with you.”

“Neither can I, my Queen. Neither can I.”

The end.


End file.
